BLINDED post ep
by PagetFan
Summary: Elliot and Olivia have a sort of heart to heart in his hospital room after she talks to the doctors about his condition.


disclaimer: dick wolf owns them, i just like to play with them.

please feel free to review, this is just a little scene i thought would have fit nicley into the episode, as i am always wondering about the relationship between olivia and kathy. . .

Olivia moved into the room as quietly as she could after talking to the doctor. Not wanting to interrupt Elliot's quiet moment with his wife. If Kathy noticed her entrance she didn't say anything, just continued her soft murmuring and clutching his hand. Olivia looked at the ground and waited, she didn't have to wait long.

'Liv' Elliot said gruffly 'Get in here, and quit lurking' Olivia drew in a breath and looked up at him, her brows furrowed in confusion.

'how did you ?' Elliot chuckled.

'I can smell your guilt' Olivia moved further into the room, casting a glance over at Kathy before focusing again on Elliot.

'the doctor says it should be temporary' she said, struggling to keep the tears out of her voice 'they assure me that the lasting damage should be minimal to non-existent and that you should be back on your feet in a few weeks.' she took a deep calming breath, trying to ignore the looks Kathy was sending her. It wasn't her fault none of them had thought to change Elliot's medical information to name her as next of kin, she steadfastly kept her gaze on Elliot and away from Kathy. 'I am so, so sorry Elliot' she said, coughing softly to try and dislodge the lump forming in her throat. 'I never should have left you alone'

'you were with the victim Liv, where you were supposed to be, you did your job, you got that girl'

'my job?' she interrupted 'Elliot, last I checked my job as your partner was to have your back' this time Olivia was unable to leave the emotion out of her voice. Elliot reached out the hand that Kathy wasn't clinging to, waiting patiently for Olivia to take it. When she did it was at arms length, leaving as much space between her and his hospital bed as possible.

'Liv, you did the right thing, that little girl was scared and she needed you, you had no way of knowing that he was violent'

'yeah, the force with which he tried to smash the other little girls skull was a subtle clue that not many would have gotten.' when he heard her try to hide a sniffle Elliot pulled her arm until she moved closer. Olivia squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears.

'you calling me a little girl?' he asked with a squeeze of her hand. Live sniffled again and let out a sound that could have been a sob or a laugh 'Victim before partner, you know that,' Elliot's voice was quiet now and he dropped her hand 'at least one of us can get that one right' Olivia's eyes snapped open in shock. Her lungs pulling in a sharp puff of air.

'Elliot don't say that' Elliot shook his head and moved his sightless eyes away from her. 'don't say that Elliot, I would never leave y ... Elliot had it been you on that bus station floor I would have done exactly what you did' when he didn't respond she grabbed his arm, sadness turning into guilt turning into anger. 'Damn it Elliot, you stubborn son of a bitch we talked about this, we agreed that ... fine, I am gonna go now, if you need anything, I'll have my cell phone on. Let me know when your coming back to work.' she was two steps from the door when his voice stopped her.

'I am sorry Olivia, I just, I can't seam to get over,'

'I know' she stopped him, not turning back to face him, her hand on the door handle 'but you've got your family back now Elliot, I have that baby to get you home to safely, that's my top priority whether you like it or not.' she stopped outside the door for only a moment before moving in the direction of the parking garage.

'Olivia' she stopped again, this time turning around with a look of shock on her face. Since she got here and found out about Olivia's next of kin status, Kathy had not said more than a word or two to her, let alone in a soft uncertain tone like the one she was using now. 'I just want you to know' she continued hesitantly 'that I appreciate that you think of us, and while I can't help but be horribly jealous of my husband's incredibly smart and attractive partner, I couldn't imagine trusting anyone else to take care of him out there' Kathy studied Olivia's shocked expression a few more minutes before turning back into Elliot's room. A sudden calm settled over Olivia as she kept moving towards the exit, she smiled, for the first time in a long time, she knew where she fit with Kathy, and knew that while the two of them would never share gossip or paint each other's toenails, there was their mutual respect for each other, and their connection to Elliot that connected them, and that was enough.


End file.
